This isn’t a recent pic but it is from the beginning of the football season when Steve worked Labor Day weekend and Nora and I were testing the iPad camera. It’s been that long since he’s had a day off!

Last weekend, we were surprised to learn Nora had roseola, a double ear infection, and mild strep. Steve and I had decided to take her to the pediatrician on Saturday morning (after some debating), as Nora had a rash on her tummy and back since Friday evening. We debated the appointment because, despite the rash, our toddler was in excellent spirits—laughing, running, and acting like her healthy self.

Imagine my surprise when Steve returned from the doctor with Nora with the news that she was so sick! I, for one, had never heard of roseola, but it is a common illness in kids three months to three years. It starts with a fever (we had noticed Nora had a slight fever on Thursday night, but it was completely gone Friday morning) followed with a skin rash three days later. The pediatrician said the roseola made her more susceptible to the ear infections and strep.

We had planned the weekend to be a fun one, complete with a museum trip and outing to a chili festival. Sadly, we ended up quarantined indoors, watching Disney movies (on recommendation from the pediatrician) and nursing our little one back to health. I do have to say that The Princess and the Frog and Tangled are excellent movies though!

And yes, it did snow the night before we received Nora’s diagnosis. And before the pediatrician appointment on Saturday morning, we took Nora out in the snow for a few minutes. She was bundled up and only out there for a few minutes, but I do feel a little guilty about her being outside. More proof that I’m not perfect!

Are You Ready for Some Football?!

We’re two weeks from celebrating the end of the football season in this house. After losing my hubby to the rigors of football television since September, I am ready for a more relaxed pace to our life.

We enjoyed some football viewing with friends a few weeks ago, and Nora got into the spirit of the game with some face paint. I’m teaching her the art of watching sports at home at an early age. I’ve got to live up to the Lyons’ family legacy and train the next generation of sports louts.

It’s time to update the ol’ blog so I don’t outgrow it. I read this great post from Pioneer Woman a few months back about blogging, and the best piece of advice on her list is to blog about anything and everything that inspires you.

Right now, I am trying to figure out what inspires me.

In the last year, my life has changed a lot. Just like any first-time parent, I don’t think I was prepared for how little time I would have for myself after having a child. I assumed I could do it all: work, mother, cook, craft, sew, read, exercise, watch sports . . .  you get the idea. Truth be told, I have slivers of time to engage in hobbies and lately that time has been monopolized by Downton Abbey.

I’m trying to find a place for my creative self to thrive in the midst of my new life. I can’t sit down and devote the energy I once did to sewing projects, but I have to find an outlet to express myself. I’ve picked up my sweater with vigor again; I hope to finish it in the next few weeks. Posts to come!

I haven’t posted much on here lately, and I wish that I hadn’t become such a blog slacker. Maybe it’s because I haven’t committed to many projects lately. I need my weekly craft group to start up again so I can continue work on my sweater.

As the calendar turned from 2011 to 2012, I didn’t bother making any resolutions. I have a lot on my plate for 2012, and I’d rather NOT get too ambitious. I did want to reflect on my goals of last year and measure where I got by the end of December. It’s amazing to think that at the beginning of 2011 I was still on a part-time maternity leave. My ambitions for doing much went down the tubes after Nora became mobile: that’s when time disappeared.

1. Travel with my family. Check that one off the list! Steve and I made it to Disney World, Boise, Ithaca, New York City, and the New Jersey shore in 2011. Though our travel slowed down a bit by the time Steve’s season began, I think our amount of travel was pretty respectable.
2. Read twelve books. Errrr. I didn’t meet this goal. If I counted work-related books and parenting books I might be closer to the goal, but with a toddler taking over my bedroom in the evenings, reading has become something I have to push myself to do these days. I did read a few books, though, like The Help and A Year in Provence, so I am not a total reading loser. Plus, I am really enjoying On Home and hope to finish it soon.
3. Sew a quilt. Again, not a goal I met. However, I think my sweater project counts as a big project, though it won’t be finished until we’re well into 2012. It’s hard to believe, but I haven’t sewn in MONTHS. After doing it every weekend for two or three years, it’s not something I have time to enjoy right now. I did want to learn a new craft skill this year, and, while it’s modest, I think my cupcake decorating for Nora’s birthday party counts as the skill learned. At least I can check that off the list!
4. Lose the baby weight. I was doing great with this until this fall. I fit back into all my prepregnancy clothes, but I will keep this on the list (likely) for years to come.
5. Carve out time for my friends. I am doing a fair job at this. I meet with some marvelous ladies every week and have tried to stay in touch with distant friends (and family) through social media, but I could still improve in this area. The whole working mom thing throws this balance off. Thank goodness some of my favorite people work with me, or I’d really be depressed!
6. Spend quality time with Steve and Nora. I think this is where I excelled this year. Our family had a fun year and a lot of it was spent as just the three of us. We visited the zoo, the pumpkin patch, and nearby New Hope, among other places. Steve and I cheered Nora on in the Diaper Derby at a local Fourth of July celebration.

As I said, 2012 is going to be eventful and, I hope, full of adventures with my family, consuming culture, and working on projects. I’ll post more about that stuff later.

Then:

Mugging for the Camera

Now:

Cuddling with Her Animals

Babies and toddlers grow so fast. It’s amazing to witness the small and big changes that occur every day in Nora’s life.

Enjoying Our Playdough Session Last Week

I had planned to post a very happy, joyous post at the end of last week. I can still recall the fun mommy and daughter time spent making playdough, coloring, playing with Nora’s new doll, reading books, and taking walks to the park. It was such a special time for her and me, something I’ll treasure. Being a working mom has its bittersweet moments; while it’s awesome to have a week-long vacation to dote on my girl, it’s hard to adjust back to reality, when both toddler and mom are somewhat spoiled!

Enjoying Her Haul from Santa

Nora loved our small and quiet Christmas. Because it was just the three of us, we took our time opening gifts, taking two breaks (one for breakfast and one for some general decompressing time), and she had the opportunity to play with everything she received. Her favorite gift has to be the Bitty Baby Doll and baby doll umbrella stroller. She played with her new baby for hours yesterday.

Nora and Her Baby

She also received a table and chair set from Santa, which is sorely needed in this house for our budding artist (I say this as I try to figure out how to get some ink stains out of our couch cushions . . . so far the hairspray solution espoused on the Internet is only doing so much).

Steve and I enjoyed opening our gifts as well, though watching Nora’s joy and delight on Christmas day is what makes the holiday so magical. I feel spoiled, as always, by my hubby and my entire family. Thanks to Steve I am set up with new yoga equipment for the new year and ready to channel my English-major obsession with the Brits (can’t wait t watch Downton Abbey and read Death Comes to Pemberley). And thanks to other members of my family I have great coffee table books to page through (like Design*Sponge at Home), a new jacket, a gingerbread mold, Toms Shoes, and gift cards to spend.

I am so glad I have an entire week to sort through the new booty and enjoy it all! Nora and I are basking in our holiday week!

This Year's Christmas Card Pic

In just a matter of hours, I will be done working in 2011. The next eight days of the year will be dedicated to spending quality time with Nora, organizing closets in my house, and seeing friends.

We’re looking forward to a weekend that involves just our three-person family. Last weekend we spent time with the extended family, but Christmas will be just for us. I will miss seeing my family in Boise, but the quiet Christmas at home is just what we need this year.

As soon as I get home from work, Christmas weekend preparations begin. I’ll start making the dough for our traditional Christmas Eve mushroom brioches. I will also make a coffeecake for our brunch with friends tomorrow, a homemade cheese ball, and a tasty ice-cream cake for Christmas Eve and Christmas dessert. How I love holiday eating.

It’ll be hard for me to sleep on Christmas Eve, as I am so darn excited to give Nora her presents! She’s such a fun kid that spoiling her with books, puzzles, and other toys is a joy. We don’t buy a ton for her throughout the year, so we go big on Christmas.

Readers, I wish all of you the happiest of holidays. I hope your traditions and time with family make the season bright!

Now onto a final week of work before Santa comes!